It is that time of year….or rather the last day of the year I should say, when everyone rehashes what just took place over the previous 364 days….that is not going to happen here. If you were alive in 2006 and are a Cubs’ fan, you know what transpired and other than the feel good story that was Ryan O’Malley, nothing else is really worth repeating…. hopefully those days are long gone from the North Side of Chicago. Like the late, great Satchel Paige said, “Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.” What will the New Year bring? No one knows for sure but there will be plenty of speculation between now and the opening of camps in mid-February. Some experts will be right , some will be wrong, but the bottom line is, the New Year is about starting over with a clean slate and that is exactly what the Cubs are doing.
Out with the old and in with the new….the Cubs have changed more than just personal since the last game of the season against the Rockies, they have appeared to change their philosophy as well. Words and phrases like urgency, win now, Pac-man and Spendry have been added to the Faithful’s vocabulary. And the Cubs actually have more starting pitchers going in to Spring Training than they have spots…. Zambrano, Lilly, Hill, Marquis, Miller, Marshall and Prior. Piniella said in an interview during the Winter Meetings that he could not control what happened before he got to Chicago that he could only control what the team is from this point forward. Sounds like a good philosophy to me….
I want to take a moment to thank everyone that contributes to this site….Jason, Brian, Shaun, Thomas and all of the readers and posters that made 2006 the year it was for the CCO….without all of you this site is nothing more than words on a screen. And I would like to leave everyone with this last thought….to quote Harry Caray, “God willing, hope to see you next year. Next year maybe will be the next year we all been waiting for forever.” ….thank you Pat Hughes.
From everyone here at the CCO, have a safe and Happy New Year, and of course, EAMUS CATULI!!!!